David Sartin

David Sartin (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent West Virginia's 1st Congressional District. He declared candidacy for the Republican primary scheduled on May 12, 2026.^[source]

Biography

David Sartin was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He served in the U.S. Army from 1999 to 2006. He attended Capella University and Colorado Technical University. His career experience includes working as a paramedic, professional truck driver, and freight conductor.^[1]

Elections

2026

General election

The primary will occur on May 12, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Isaiah Rucker is running in the general election for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Isaiah Rucker (Independent)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Britta Aguirre is running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on May 12, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Britta Aguirre

	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Incumbent Carol Miller, Abel Clendenen, Larry Jackson, and David Sartin are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1 on May 12, 2026.

		Candidate
		Carol Miller
	Submit photo	Abel Clendenen
		Larry Jackson
		David Sartin

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
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Endorsements

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2024

General election

General election for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Craig Hart defeated Jeff Disibbio and David Sartin in the general election for West Virginia State Senate District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Craig Hart (R)	61.0	23,014
	Submit photo	Jeff Disibbio (D)	34.3	12,924
		David Sartin (Independent)	4.7	1,765

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 37,703
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Randall Fowler (D)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Randall Fowler advanced from the Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Randall Fowler	100.0	3,748

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,748
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Craig Hart defeated incumbent Chandler Swope and Eric Porterfield in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6 on May 14, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Craig Hart	40.9	4,847
		Chandler Swope	37.0	4,384
	Submit photo	Eric Porterfield	22.2	2,633

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,864
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Sartin in this election.

2020

West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 9 Republican primary)

West Virginia gubernatorial election, 2020 (June 9 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for Governor of West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the general election for Governor of West Virginia on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Justice (R)	63.5	497,944
		Ben Salango (D)	30.2	237,024
		Erika Kolenich (L)	2.9	22,527
		S. Marshall Wilson (Independent) (Write-in)	1.9	15,120
		Daniel Lutz Jr. (Mountain Party)	1.4	11,309
		Michael Folk (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	199
	Submit photo	Mitch Roberts (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	152
		Quintin Gerard Caldwell (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	6
	Submit photo	Kimberly Gross (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	6

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source 1 Source 2	Total votes: 784,287
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

David Sartin (Independent)
Larry Trent (Constitution Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia

Ben Salango defeated Stephen Smith, Ron Stollings, Jody Murphy, and Douglas Hughes in the Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ben Salango	38.7	74,554
		Stephen Smith	33.8	65,056
		Ron Stollings	13.3	25,686
		Jody Murphy	9.3	17,968
	Submit photo	Douglas Hughes	4.8	9,201

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 192,465
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Cecil Silva (D)
Edwin Ray Vanover (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of West Virginia

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of West Virginia on June 9, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Justice	62.8	133,026
		H. Woody Thrasher	18.3	38,796
		Michael Folk	12.5	26,461
	Submit photo	Doug Six	2.1	4,419
	Submit photo	Larry Brooke Lunsford	1.8	3,844
	Submit photo	Shelby Fitzhugh	1.3	2,762
		Charles Sheedy	1.2	2,535

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 211,843
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Rebecca Henderson (R)

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of West Virginia

Erika Kolenich advanced from the Libertarian convention for Governor of West Virginia on April 8, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Erika Kolenich (L)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.
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Mountain Party convention

Mountain Party convention for Governor of West Virginia

Daniel Lutz Jr. advanced from the Mountain Party convention for Governor of West Virginia on June 20, 2020.

		Candidate
✔		Daniel Lutz Jr. (Mountain Party)

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

David Sartin has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to David Sartin asking him to fill out the survey. If you are David Sartin, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

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You can ask David Sartin to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing davesartin2024@gmail.com.

2024

David Sartin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sartin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is David Sartin, and I am running for the West Virginia State Senate - District 6 as an Independent/Non-Partisan candidate. As a Disabled Veteran and former 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper in the United States Army, I bring a wealth of experience and dedication to public service. My background includes roles as an Emergency Medical Technician/Paramedic, volunteer firefighter, through freight conductor/management trainee for a local railroad, and over-the-road truck driver.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Disaster Management Our state faces numerous natural disasters, and I believe it's crucial to improve community preparedness and response training. We need to rethink how we prepare and educate our communities to respond effectively to these threats.
Community-based Renewable Energy Initiatives With electric companies filing for double-digit rate increases every few months, it's essential to support local renewable energy projects. This will reduce our dependency on large corporations and provide economic stability for our citizens.
Economic Development Our unique geography can be somewhat prohibitive for business development at times. It's incumbent upon us to create avenues to attract and retain businesses, increase the number of trades offered in our schools so that we will have the traits new businesses are looking for when they prepare to hire for these jobs, and provide some incentives including tax incentives to make our state more appealing to any business looking for a new home. This will help ensure they not only come to our state but also stay and thrive here. Another major component of our economic development is we need to promote and buy local. Support our local businesses that prop up and support our communities.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Homeland Security, Emergency Services, Economic Development, Restraining Big Corporations from leveraging government for their own personal gain, Energy Independence, Developing Renewable Energy, Criminal Justice Reform, Elderly and Minority issues, Transportation and Logistics.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I believe in Jesus and he would be the person I would most strive to be like. I have made many mistakes in my life before and after I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. Through all of those mistakes he understands I am only human and have to fight this flesh until the day he returns to save us from a terrible fate. The most amazing part about that is he does not care about the mistakes that I have made. It does not and will never affect how much he loves me and the sacrifice he made to ensure that I know the breadth of that love not just for me but for every person that does, has, or ever will live on this planet.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Many of the lessons taught in this book are military in relation but nearly all of them can be adapted to any area of life including politics.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Transparency, Honesty, Being Direct, Selfless Service, Integrity, Good Work Ethic, Concern for Identifying and Answering the Problems of the People, Listening

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

Being a US Army combat veteran and 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper we are raised to be believe in and live the Army Values every day. Those values are Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

When we get elected, the people expect us to come in and do the work that needs to be done in the best interest of the communities we serve and our state as a whole. They expect us to be honest and transparent with them with everything even if it is not the most popular thing. We are servants to the people of West Virginia and I think sometimes that gets forgotten when you stand in the Capital surrounded by marble floors and walls constantly. I will be volunteering time to non profit groups in the counties I serve so that I remember I am there to serve not to forget.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of service and sacrifice to my community, state, and country. I want my children and grandchildren to see what I have done and why I have done it. I want them to be proud of what I have done and want them to scrutinize every decision I make because I am not infallible. They have to live in this world after I leave it and it is my duty to leave it to them in better shape than I got it.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was working construction. The boss was a great guy and he took very good care of us. I held that job for roughly 3 years before getting my Emergency Medical Technicians license and moving in to that field.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Jedi Grandmaster Yoda from Star Wars is who I would love to be. He is intelligent, wise, and strong. All of which I think is what helps make a great leader and servant of the people.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I don't know if I would call it a struggle though I imagine it probably has been if you ask my wife, family, and friends and that is that I am quite an introvert. Even more so now than before my military service. I have a small circle of friends and it is a little more difficult for me to get out and create conversations with larger crowds than most. It is something that I have been having to face and move forward in because I have decided to run for a public office. I have made what I consider to be pretty good strides with it and it seems to me that I am getting better every day. Not to say there still isn't a lot of work to do on that front because there is but, I continue to understand that to do this service to my state it is imperative to get out and talk to the citizens and listen to their every concern so that I can make the best decisions on what I want to support that is going to have an impact on their every day lives.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

They should communicate frequently and keep the best interest of the people, not political party, at the forefront of their minds. The intention is for one to be a check on the other and vice versa for good reason and that is how it should be.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Business/Economic Development and Budget

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I do not. The reason is because when you come in to something you do not know much about it forces you to do a lot of research and you can make up your own mind about what you are passionate about without any influence from the party lines. Which is just another way of saying that you go in independent and you can stay that way.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. It is extremely difficult to get anything done in government without help from your collogues. You should be cordial, professional, and open minded so as not to pick up any type of bias. You are there to serve the best interests of your constituents.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Donald Trump. I think Former President Trump and I think very similarly. He did amazing things for our country while he was President and we, as a nation, were much safer for it. He has a no nonsense attitude toward some of our own political parties and other countries trying to take advantage of our people and made sure all of the other countries knew that if you harmed an American citizen we were going to come and get you. Though I do not always agree how he handled some situations from time to time and he may have tweeted a little much sometimes but I absolutely understand that was how he chose to defend himself, and he has that right, while also keeping the public informed of everything that was going on in Washington, D.C and with himself personally.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Yes. US Senate, President of the United States.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I am working toward getting one of local volunteer fire departments reopened after some unfortunate events forced their closure. I have been making many trips to our state capital and speaking with the many offices involved in the situation to hand deliver documents that the state needed from the the department and to act as a voice for the residents of that community. While I have been doing all of this I have spoken with some residents who told me some stories about how the fire department has helped them in their most dire times whether on the fire side or the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) side whether it be responding to a car accident, a house fire, or another EMS related call where without them they would have literally lost everything. Then I remembered that this is exactly why I am here and why I got involved in running for office in the first place.

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

I think we should be very careful about granting any type of emergency powers to anyone unless it is absolutely unavoidable and there should always be a check in place to monitor and help control that emergency power so that there is no possibility for it being abused. Our country has stood for the last 248 years and the concepts from our constitution and bill of rights have stood the test of time even to this very day. The framers were very deliberate with their thinking and motion on how our county should go forward and it has worked for us and made us the strongest nation in the world so I would see no reason to try and make any changes to how we have been doing business for the last two and half centuries.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

That is a tough one since we have so many things that need to be addressed in our state. Something I have been thinking about is restructuring our Public Service Commission to give it regulation authority over public utilities and to have the seats for the Public Service Commission be elected positions and not appointed. We have had a flurry of decisions by the PSC over the last few years that has lead to ridiculous increases to our citizens with no real justification from these utilities as to what has prompted these requests and why they needed the rate adjustments. I have been watching the salaries of the executives that run these utilities and I have noticed that when rates got raised nearly every time the executive pay and benefits have also raised so it makes me quite suspicious of any request that they make as to why they NEED a raise in rates. I could understand asking for a temporary raise to help them through storm seasons and the like but I think they need to come with a little more information before any permanent rate hike is approved.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

None to this point though I am only 3 weeks in to the campaign so I imagine people are still looking at what I am about.

What committees interest you?

Military, Economic Development, Energy, Industry, and Mining, and Transportation and Infrastructure.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The Government is absolutely accountable to the people for every decision they make and other than matters of National Security, transparency is not only expected, as it should be, but it should not have to be asked for. We should be offering every shred of evidence concerning what we do and how we plan on doing it well in advance of when we plan for it to take place so that the people will have time to understand it and offer suggestions to improve upon it. 1.77 Million heads are better than 34.

Would a state ballot initiative process be good or bad for your state?

Absolutely. Every law that is created governs every citizen of our state. They should have the right to challenge or offer common sense amendments to the laws passed that deal with their day to day lives.

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2020

David Sartin did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

David Sartin campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2026*	U.S. House West Virginia District 1	Candidacy Declared primary	$0	N/A**
2024*	West Virginia State Senate District 6	Lost general	$826	$100
Grand total			$826	$100
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

External links

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Candidate

U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Website

Facebook

Personal

Footnotes

↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 4, 2024

[show]

West Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Shelley Capito (R)

Jim Justice (R)

Representatives

District 1

Carol Miller (R)

District 2

Riley Moore (R)

Republican Party (4)

[1] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 4, 2024

[1]

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David Sartin

Biography

Elections

2026

General election

General election for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House West Virginia District 1

Endorsements

2024

General election

General election for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Republican primary election

Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate District 6

Endorsements

2020

General election

General election for Governor of West Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of West Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of West Virginia

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Libertarian convention

Libertarian convention for Governor of West Virginia

Mountain Party convention

Mountain Party convention for Governor of West Virginia

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

2024

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

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2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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